Known for its vibrant cities, scenic landscape and friendly population, the North offers not only an unrivalled quality of life, but excellent career prospects. With continued investment from the Northern Powerhouse into the region and emerging industries such as media, digital and technology, now is an exciting time to pursue a career in the North.

Our success stories

Kat Palmer, 26, Leeds

Innovation Manager

at Emerald Group

I studied at Sheffield Hallam University and graduated in 2012, starting out as a graduate marketer and am now shaping a role in innovation at Emerald Publishing. There are a huge variety of job opportunities in all industries – from startups to the big kids like Sky and the BBC.

There are always opportunities to explore your careers and expand your knowledge to enable you to shine. You can easily become part of networks based in the north according to your passions and beliefs, learn from the skills and experiences of others, and if you work hard, progress quickly.

I really feel part of a community here and in my experience, there’s a real desire to enable people to find out who they are, and who they want to be – and our northern community is fully supportive of that. The friends I have made here are for life.

Llara Geddes, 35, Manchester

Head of User Experience

at Beauty Bay

I moved to the North of England, for work nearly two years ago. Since arriving, I’ve actually moved role, and have found that there’s a wealth of opportunity in digital. Things are constantly growing and developing here. Our digital scene is strong and growing and the other key northern cities are seeing their own tech hubs emerge.

Lifestyle-wise, Manchester is amazing. It has music, food, sport, fashion, galleries, theatre, all within a really walkable and compact city centre, as well as great suburbs. It’s an affordable city to live in and, compared to further south, people here stand a much better chance of getting on the housing ladder. Northern cities offer the culture, social opportunities, diversity and excitement you’d get down South but remain affordable, plus we have the Peak and Lake Districts nearby for a bit of outdoor space.

Arron Dunphy, 26, Manchester

Project Manager

at CTI Digital

I studied English Language at Lancaster University and decided that I wanted to stay in the North after graduating. There is a massive digital scene here which means lots of opportunity for me to have a career in something that’s constantly evolving. My employer gave me a lot of responsibility early on in my career and has supported me with a wealth of training throughout. Our office is based in the Northern Quarter which is a vibrant area in Manchester – full of dynamic companies and employees which make for a great vibe.

The office is a cool place to work and hang out with its own bar and breakout areas helping to create a good work-life balance for the staff. I’m a huge fan of live music and the North’s culture is deep-rooted in it, so I can leave work and head straight to a gig whenever I want to. This is the perfect region for me to have an amazing career while still being able to do the things outside of work that I love.

Did you know?

The Northern Powerhouse had 2.3 million people aged 16 to 64 with a degree or equivalent and above in 2016, an increase of 4% compared to 2015. This was equivalent to 25% of the working age population, compared to 30% of the England population in 2016.